Advanced state of the art processes for producing SAPO molecular sieves useful as catalysts in hydroisomerization processes are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,294,081, 6,303,534, and in Blasco, et al., Journal of Catalysis 2006, 242(1), 153-161. The preparation method of the SAPO-11 material used in U.S. Pat. No. 6,294,081 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,303,534 and in Blasco, et al. While operable, this preparative method makes use of an environmentally unattractive and expensive route using an alcoholic phase, e.g., hexanol, with an organic silicon source that readily releases alcohol on decomposition, e.g., tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), together with an aluminum source, a phosphorus source, water, a templating agent such as di-n-propylamine (DPA), and a surfactant, e.g., hexadecylamine (HDA). It is postulated by the patentees that SAPO-11 prepared from such a complex two-phase liquid system, which involves an aqueous phase and a surfactant and a non-miscible organic phase, results in a crystalline silicoaluminophosphate having unique silicon framework distributions with a high silica:alumina ratio. Bifunctional catalysts using Pt,Pd precious metals on SAPO-11 molecular sieves, prepared as described above from microemulsions containing surfactants, were shown by the patentees to be much more active and selective for the hydroisomerization of long-chain n-paraffins, e.g., n-hexadecane, compared to Pt,Pd/SAPO-11 molecular sieves prepared from conventional (single phase) aqueous hydrothermal methods, e.g., as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,871.